Harlingen, Texas, April 26, 2007: There are some very irate military personnel serving in Iraq. They are speaking out in larger and larger numbers. Though their language must be polite, their anger at lack of support from our civilian leadership is quite apparent.
I was sent a copy of a letter sent to Senator Harry Reid by a naval officer now serving in the war zone. The letter was written by Lieutenant Jason Nichols, an officer in the United States Navy, currently serving in Baghdad.
You should read his words in their entirety, without any comment inserted by this journalist.
In addressing the senator he says, “When you say we’ve lost in Iraq, I don’t think you understand the effect of your words. The Iraqis I speak with are the good guys here, fighting to build a stable government. They hear what you say, but they don’t understand it. They don’t know about the political game, they don’t know about a Presidential veto, and they don’t know about party politics.
“But they do know that if they help us, they are noticed by terrorists and extremists. They decide to help us if they think we can protect them from those terrorists. They tell us where caches of weapons are hidden. They call and report small groups of men who are strangers to the neighborhood. Men, who look the same to us, but are obvious to them as a foreign suicide cell.
“To be brief, your words are killing us. Your statements make the Iraqis afraid to help us for fear we’ll leave them unprotected in the future. They then don’t report a cache, and its weapons blow up my friends in convoy. They don’t report a foreign fighter, and that fighter sends a mortar onto my base. Your statements are noticed, and they have an effect.
“Finally, you are mistaken when you say we are losing. We are winning. I see it every day. However, we will win with fewer casualties if you help us. Will you?”
The warrior closes his letter saying...”Respectfully, LT Jason Nichols, USN”.
That letter is an individual plea from one of our troops in combat to an elected government official. There has also been a petition circulated that is an acceptable format for members of the armed forces on active duty to appeal to leadership. It is authorized under DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6 as a means by which those on active duty can submit a grievance to Congress.
The wording of that appeal reads: “As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts, which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.”
As of last week almost 2,600 American servicemen and women had signed this appeal. The letter from Lt. Nichols and the Appeal for Redress say far more than any commentary about how our troops view the War in Iraq and their political support in Congress..